VISAKHAPATNAM:If everything goes as planned, Andhra University is going to be the first university in the state to provide hi-speed wifi across its campus by the beginning of the ensuing academic year. The university authorities are chalking out plans to extend wifi to classrooms, all the departments and play grounds on the campus. Right now wifi is being provided only to the college hostels as a pilot project.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has recently asked the vice-chancellors of state universities to provide wifi in the campuses and allow students to access them for free. AU is providing wifi to the hostels for the last three months. The Computer and Internet Centre on the campus would prepare a website, collect details of the students and provide them with the password, with which the students can access the network. The procedure bars outsiders from making use of the service.
Speaking to TNIE, vice-chancellor GSN Raju said, “We will make sure the campus is fully wifi-enabled by the new academic year. Already the service is being provided to hostels as a pilot project. The present wifi services are being run by BSNL. Even Cognizant Technologies came forward to get this contract. We will meet and decide on the service provider.”
He also announced that the website which can be accessed by all the students is almost ready and on trial. The next step is listing out students and provide them with technical details to access the site and make use of the Internet.
The authorities will also take measures and set in place firewalls to restrict access to unauthorised websites.